Cal Beat Writer Makes Outrageous Prediction for Cal at Auburn

The Auburn Tigers will look to improve their record to 2-0 this week with a home win over the Cal Golden Bears. This is the second game in the home and away series between the two teams. Auburn won the last meeting 14-10.

Here are answers to five questions about Cal with Jake Curtis from California Golden Bears on SI.

1. Does Cal seem to miss Sam Jackson V at quarterback?

“I don't think so,” Cutis said. “He started the first few games last season, but then he was replaced. He was haphazard for the first five games, and then he was benched completely for Fernando Mendoza. He didn't play the rest of the season. That's why he transferred. I don't think Auburn saw him as a quarterback either, so he plays wide receiver. I wouldn't say they (Cal) miss him that much.”

2. What impact does running back Jaydn Ott have on Cal?

“Big impact,” Curtis said. “He left the last game with a sprained ankle; he left the game in the third quarter. There was concern about whether he would play this week. On Tuesday, (Cal head coach) Justin Wilcox said he would probably play. I expect him to play against Auburn. The run game is really built around him. New offensive coordinator Mike Bloesch said he wants to get him 30 or more touches a game. Against UC Davis, he had about half that. You have to pass him the ball a lot. Bloesch relies heavily on the run game and his ability to establish that.”

3. Nyziah Hunter and Mavin Anderson each caught four balls against UC Davis. Who will lead Cal in receiving against Auburn or will it be another target?

“It's really hard to say,” Curtis said. “Hunter wasn't even a backup last week. He said after the game he was surprised he even played. Mavin Anderson is kind of an 'either/or' starting position. The main outside receivers should be Tobias Merriweather and Kyion Graves, neither of whom played last week. They're questionable this week. The other slot player, the position Mavin Anderson plays, is Mikey Matthews. I think he (Matthews) is the best slot receiver, but he missed a lot of practice with an injury, so he didn't play in the game.

“I would say the most likely player to lead them (Cal) in at least pass catches is Mikey Matthews. If either Merriweather or Graves play, I think they'll be the leaders in pass catches. If neither of them plays, Hunter will play a role here. He definitely moved up the rankings after what he did last Saturday.”

4. Cal had no sacks and only three TFL against UC Davis. How important will it be for them to establish a pass rush against Auburn?

“This is important, Cal's pass rush was very weak last year,” Curtis said. “They finally developed some pass rush in the last couple of games, but against UC Davis, which is obviously an FCS school, they didn't have any, and you would think they would get some pass rush against those guys. Xavier Carlton, the one edge, and David Reese, the other edge, are their best pass rushers, but Reese did very little in the game against UC Davis. He (Reese) needs to improve. I would imagine them getting some extra blitzes from their inside linebackers to create more pressure. That's really a problem for Cal and they need to create some kind of pressure if they want to have any success against Auburn.”

5. Cal had three interceptions against UC Davis. Is the secondary one of Cal's strongest zones?

“They definitely have talent back there,” Curtis said. “It's too early to tell. I would say Noah Williams is a really good cornerback. Marcus Hayes, who they got as a transfer, definitely has the skills to be a really good cornerback. Craig Woodson is a top-notch safety. Their other safety, Miles Williams, is mediocre, I would say. Cal has a tradition of top-notch secondary players under Justin Wilcox.”

Kickoff is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. CT and ESPN2 will carry the coverage.